Pakistani film industry may still be in its building stages, but it has already produced a huge star actress, her name? Mahira Khan. In many ways, she is the most popular film actress in Pakistan. She made her foray into Bollywood in the lead role played in Raees opposite India’s biggest movie star, Shah Rukh Khan. Mahira has collected many coveted awards as she continues to build on her stardom.
Mahira Khan Bio
She was born Mahira Hafeez Khan on December 21. In 1984, in Karachi, Pakistan, Dehli-born father Hafeez Khan emigrated to Pakistan after the partition of India. Khan has a younger brother called Hassaan Khan, who is a journalist.
She attended Karachi Public Foundation School where she wrote her O level at the age of 16. The following year, in 2001, at the age of 17, Khan moved to the United States, to California more precisely. His goal was to get a college degree. She attended Santa Monica College in Los Angeles, then the University of Southern California. However, Khan never managed to graduate and in 2008 she returned to Pakistan.
In his fifth year in the United States, Khan began a career as a video jockey. Previously, she worked as a cashier at a Rite Aid store. She quickly rose into VJing and in 2006 landed a job as the host of Most Wanted on MTV Pakistan. Two years later, she started working for Aag TV, where she hosted a reality show, Weekends with Mahira, which featured interviews and celebrity calls.
Although her career in VJing was immediately successful, Mahira’s first love was acting and in 2011 she made her debut with Bol where she played a supporting role. Bol was both a commercial and critical success, heralding Mahira to Pakistani audiences.
Her TV serial debut in Humsafar would become the biggest break in her career making her a star actress not only in Pakistan but also in India. For her role as Khirad Ehsan, Mahira won many awards including 2 Hum Style Awards in 2013, one for Best Satellite TV Actress and the other for Best On-Screen Couple (Drama) .
Her next big gig was the drama Shehr-e-Zaat (2012) for which she won the first of many Pakistan Media Awards. Her role in TV series Sadqay Tumhare won her Pakistan Media Award for Best Popular Actress (2015) and Best TV Actress in 2016.
Mahira’s next film after Bol in 2011 would be BinRoye in 2015 for which she won 4 Lux Style Awards, including one for Most Stylish Actress (Film). She starred in Ho Mann Jahaan (2016). In 2017, Mahira made her Hindi film debut in Raees.
His involvement in the film was subject to much controversy due to the political tension between Pakistan and India at the time. As a result, she received threats from India’s far-right political party Shiv Sena and was also banned from promoting the film in India. The film later enjoyed modest financial success, propelling Mahira into the ranks of Pakistan’s highest-earning actresses.
Other films by Mahira include Verna (2017), Saat Din Mohabbat In (2018) and Maula Jatt 2 (2018).
Family life: son, husband (Ali Askari)
Mahira was formerly married to Ali Askari. They met in Los Angeles in 2006 and tied the knot a few months later, in July 2007, in an Islamic ceremony. Mahira’s father against the marriage and 7 years later they separated and finalized their divorce in 2015.
Their marriage produced a son named Azlan Askari. She reportedly kept a diary in which she recorded her son’s thoughts.
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Other facts to know
Apart from earning a lot of money as an actor, Mahira Khan is also a brand ambassador. She particularly won over Huawei, Q Mobile, L’Oreal (she became the brand’s first ambassador in Pakistan) and Lux.
She has been named the sexiest woman in Pakistan and has participated in Eastern Eye’s sexiest Asian women poll many times.
Mahia Khan is 1.65m (5ft 5in) tall.
His favorite vacation spot is the Netherlands.
Using her television fame, Mahira Khan advocates for the empowerment of women.
She was rumored to be in a relationship with fellow actor Ranbir Kapoor. The pair have been hit by scandal after photos of them smoking together in New York were leaked online. PS: Smoking in public is against Pakistani culture.